I lost two friends recently, but not through death, instead through incompatibility. That word came and took me by surprise, but I have to say, it fits the situation perfectly.
But you know what? God has blessed me and given me new friends. Well, He gave me one, and she brought along others.
Thank you, Lord.
| There’re no words to say No words to convey This feeling inside I have … |
The above words, taken from Tracy Chapman’s “For You” , is the closest I can find to convey what I’m feeling right now.
A lot of us are probably asking why?
The God detractors are probably pointing to it as another example of “If God is a loving God, why did He allow it to happen?”
It - the earthquake that shook our part of the world on Boxing Day 2004.
Why?
I don’t know, and I’m in no position to even attempt to answer it, so I won’t.
All I know is this:
God is still in charge. He will make something good out of this.
Right now, it may not seem that way, especially for those who have lost loved ones.
Our faith is being tested right here and now. I choose to believe He will make something good out of this.
Keep the faith, everyone.
Today, 26 December, is Boxing Day. It’s a holiday in some countries. Not in Malaysia, though.
BTW, it’s not what you think it is, so don’t go around boxing people, okay?
Well, I thought I knew the meaning of Boxing Day - something to do with the boxes that Christmas presents come in (honestly, I thought that) - but I was only partly right. I was right about the boxes, but that was all I was right about.
I googled for more information, and found two meanings:
First meaning of Boxing Day:
| Boxing Day
The day after Christmas, the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is better known as Boxing Day. The term may come from the opening of church poor boxes that day; maybe from the earthenware boxes with which boy apprentices collected money at the doors of their masters’ clients. Nowadays, we often see, in certain families, gifts (boxes) given to those who provide services throughout the year. “Boxing Day” is listed in the Canada Labour Code as a holiday. Source: Canadian Heritage: Boxing Day |
Second meaning of Boxing Day:
| Boxing Day is so called because on this day it was the customary for tradesmen to collect their Christmas boxes or gifts in return for good service throughout the year. Also, it included giving money and other gifts to charitable institutions, and the needy.
The holiday may date from as early as the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is not known. It may have begun with the Lords and Ladies of England, who gave there Christmas boxes/gifts to their servants on December 26, or maybe by priests, who opened the church’s alms (charity boxes), and distributed the contents to the poor and needy. Source: Elaine’s Boxing Day Page |
No, not of the wintery kind, but the hospital. I’m posting from the cafeteria of the Pantai Medical Centre where I spent Christmas Eve keeping my father company. My brother, who has been keeping him company for the last week or so, had to return to Singapore on Thursday. We made arrangements for a family friend to keep father company on Thursday night, and I took over yesterday afternoon.
He is being discharged later today - praise the Lord, what a Christmas present! - but with some medication, to return for a follow-up in a week’s time.
I’d brought Phoebe along for company and was able to detect an open signal from the room called “tsunami”. Unfortunately, that was all I got, a signal, no connection. I came down to the lobby later but couldn’t get a signal at all, and not from the cafeteria, either, so I had to use the desktop here. I called TMNet’s customer service and the rep gave me some crap excuse that they only provide the service line and if I couldn’t log in from my laptop, then it probably meant the laptop’s wireless card is faulty. I have something strong to write here about such an excuse, but won’t, seeing as how it’s Christmas morning.
In a week’s time, it’s going to be a new year which for me, always means a new beginning and fresh start. More than in previous years, I need this fresh start so yes, I’m looking forward to 2005.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, everyone!
